Virtual phone number

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is a number linked to your business account rather than to your physical location.

So, rather than directing calls to your landline number, a virtual system routes calls to your account. You can then take those calls, no matter where you are. You aren’t tied to a specific location.

Systems like Dialpad use VoIP services (Voice over Internet Protocol) to enable you to make phone calls over an internet connection rather than through a traditional telephony network. To the caller, there’s no discernible difference. Virtual business phone numbers don’t sound or act any different to old-school landlines.

You don’t have to operate your virtual phone numbers entirely through computers, mobile phones and internet devices, either. If you prefer, you can get VoIP-enabled desk phones.

How to get a virtual phone number for your UK business in 2 easy steps with Dialpad

Getting a virtual phone number for your UK business phone system takes just a few minutes with Dialpad:

1. First, sign up for the free 14-day trial. This will introduce you to what a VoIP phone system (as part of a wider UCaaS tool) can do and let you play around with some of the other great features like call recording, integrations and call management tools. If, at the end of the free trial, you decide that Dialpad is not for you, there’s no obligation to buy.

2. Pick your virtual phone number and get started! You can even sign up through your Google or Microsoft account, so this step couldn’t be easier.

Why get a virtual business phone number from Dialpad?

Dialpad is very cost-effective. Plans start at just £12 per user, per month and even the least expensive plan gives you a lot for your money. For example, on the lowest cost tier, you can get a virtual phone number and system, unlimited calling (within the UK, the US, and Canada), caller ID customisation, and more.

And that all comes as part of a unified communications platform that can also handle everything from video meetings to SMS messages, call recording, custom voicemail greetings, auto attendant functionality, intuitive call forwarding, custom call routing and more.

Aside from the extra features and benefits, there’s plenty of advantages to a virtual number itself, too:

Better call pickup rates for your outbound efforts

The beauty of a virtual phone number is that it can be “local” to anywhere. By adding a local phone number to your virtual phone system you can build a “local presence” without actually having a physical location in an area.

This is useful because people are much more likely to pick up if their caller ID shows a local number. So, if your business makes a lot of outbound calls to prospects, a virtual “local” number could seriously boost your pickup rates.

You can use it across different devices

Traditional telephony systems link numbers to individual phones. So, your landline has one number, your mobile phone has another number and so on.

That’s not the case with a business virtual phone number. Virtual numbers are linked to accounts, not to devices. So, you can use the same number on your mobile, your desk phone, your computer, your tablet...

There are lots of benefits to this. One of the biggest is that you’re no longer tied to one phone in one specific location. If you need to work away from the office, that’s not a problem. The Dialpad mobile app lets you make sure that anyone calling your business will get through to whatever device is easiest for you to use.

You don’t need two phones anymore

Your virtual phone number doesn’t interfere with standard landline or mobile numbers. You can use both your virtual phone network and your normal service provider network on the same device.

So, you no longer have to have a “work phone” and a “personal phone”. You can combine both into one handset without ever having to worry about customers getting your personal number.

It’s cheaper

Landline systems are expensive. There’s a lot of hardware to install at the outset and that’s before you have to pay for things like line rental.

Dialpad doesn’t charge any of those fees. Because it's cloud-based, you don’t have to build what amounts to a mini telephone exchange in your offices. You just need to download the app, and the only fees you pay are the subscription fees.

Plus, if you need to add or remove users, you can easily do so from your online account and pricing will be altered accordingly. So, you’re never paying for more than you need.

Dialpad gives you more than just a virtual phone number

How much does getting a virtual phone number with Dialpad cost?

Dialpad has three pricing tiers—Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. Standard starts at £12 per user, per month. Pro starts at £20 per user, per month. Enterprise offers custom pricing for larger businesses which may have complex needs.

Every tier offers a virtual number, number porting, unlimited inbound and outbound calls within the UK and to the US and Canada—among many other features.

The best business virtual phone number provider in the UK

Modern businesses have to be flexible. That means being able to take and make calls anywhere, at any time.

With Dialpad, your entire team can work remotely and on the go, if needs be. As long as they have an internet-enabled device, they can do everything from joining a conference call to helping out customers from the mobile app.

Virtual phone numbers are only the start of it. Dialpad offers a full, unified communications platform that can do much more than make and receive calls. From visual voicemail to auto attendant, intelligent call routing, built-in analytics and more, Dialpad can truly revolutionise the way your business communicates.